A Micmac Responds to French

A Micmac Responds to French

This was a speech that was given by a Micmac elder, Chrestien Le Clerq, to French settlers in what is now known as Quebec in the year 1677. The speech may have been a response to Thomas Morton who thought that the Native Americans were wild Irish and needed to be enslaved. The speech was about defending their way of life as well as their cultures as the French acted unfriendly towards them. He believes that they are “infinitely happier and more powerful than French. “He tries to also woe the Indians into living and changing their way of life for example shifting from hunting and wigwams to living in houses like the European. Although he thinks that the Europeans live civilized life, he thinks that they are not happy as they are always working.

Olaudah Equiano Describes the Middle Passage, 1789

Equiano who was a slave after being kidnapped from Nigeria experienced the real horror that the slaves went through gives a vivid description in the year 1789. He explains how they were treated liked cargo and put under the decks with the aim of ensuring that they could not see how the vessel was managed. Equiano’s book is dedicated to the Lords of Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons of Parliament Great Britain. He wants to capture the attention of the queen on the plight that African Americans could have. He wants the queen and the British parliament to abolish slavery that is causing too much harm to its people. The slaves including Equiano would often experience starvation, stench, diseases, sexual abuse, torture and experienced filth from the ship due to suffocation. This document was written to raise awareness to what the slaves were going through. Many slaves were not learned and they thus could not read or write and had no one or a way to express how horrible slave trade and the numerous negative impact it had.

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin was born in Boston in the year 1706, and was 15th born out of 17 children. The autobiography looks into how hardworking Benjamin franklin was including involving himself in new trades. They lived in a period where a law existed that banned conventicles, and it was punishable. His father could not afford college education. Children were first registered in the grammar school, then moved to writing arithmetic school under informal setting since his father could not provide college education, Children, therefore, moved from grammar school to other informal levels of training depending on the parent’s financial status. Franklin obtained employment in cutting wick for the candles, filling the dipping mold and the molds for cast candles, appearing in the shop, and attending other errands under the guidance of his father. He conducted the trade for two years until he was 12 years of age. He involved in the experiment that led to the invention in society. He also used his books to write about the Pennsylvania struggle and the governors of the colonies (66). He also contacted Dr. Wright, an English physician who helped with the experiment and enabled him gain accolades among people such as Sir Godfrey Copley. He further acted as mediator between Pennsylvania assembly and the England assembly.

Massachusetts slave petition

This was a document on a petition presented to General Court of Commonwealth in Massachusetts. The petition of Slaves to the Massachusetts legislature took place on January 13, 1777. It involved seven African- American men who went to the court with the aim of gaining freedom. As slaves, in order to b free from their masters they could run away and if caught brought back to their masters or they could create a petition and take it to the Massachusetts courts. Prince Hall was the lead of the seven men. The men were protesting unlawful act whereby black men were being kidnaped in the Boston Harbor and then later on being sent to west indies as slaves. Part of the Petition highlighted that despite the fact most of these freemen were aware of the kidnapping, they were not able to make honest living due to lack of professions that admitted African Americans. This petition was important as it resulted in creation of an act which prohibited slave trade passed on the 26 March 1788